The Pan American Health Organization PAHO is providing support to member countries in detecting and containing monkeypox.
PAHO Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne, said countries are being equipped with laboratory capacity and guidance to confirm infections.
She advised that training has been done in 37 countries and territories to conduct real time PCR testing.
These include in-person workshops in Brazil, Jamaica, and Mexico, and a virtual session for over 60 participants, which was organised with the support of Barbados.
She was speaking during PAHO’s digital media briefing on Wednesday.
A total of 1,325 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 14 PAHO member states since May 10, representing 14 per cent of the global case count.
The organisation reports that no deaths have occurred in the region to date.
